Report: Panthers making 2 more changes to Matt Rhule’s staff

Matt Rhule’s new coaching staff for the Panthers is nearly complete but he’s still making tweaks. A couple changes have been reported in the last hour.

According to Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, the team is moving running backs coach Jake Peetz over to the quarterbacks coach position.

Changes to the #Panthers staff for coach Matt Rhule: The plan is to move RBs coach Jake Peetz to QB coach, sources say, and to hire former #Redskins TE coach Brian Angelichio as Carolina’s TEs coach. Peetz’s time at Alabama under Nick Saban gives him added offensive depth.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 27, 2020

The team had interviewed three former NFL head coaches for this spot, so it’s interesting that they went with Peetz. He has previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the Raiders and also worked as a QB analyst for Nick Saban at Alabama a couple of times.

In related news, Pete Thamel at Yahoo Sports reports the Panthers are hiring Jeff Nixon.

Sources: Baylor OC and player Jeff Nixon to join Matt Rhule’s staff in Carolina. Role to be determined. Nixon interviewed for head jobs at Memphis and ODU this year. He brings 10 years NFL experience to Carolina.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 27, 2020

Nixon’s role has not yet been confirmed, but he has extensive experience working with running backs, so we can reasonably assume he’s taking over for Peetz.

As Thamel mentions, he brings plenty of pro experience to the table. Nixon’s first coaching job in the NFL was as an offensive/special teams assistant for the Eagles. From there, he moved on to be the running backs coach for the Dolphins five years. His most recent gig at this level was the tight ends coach for the 49ers in 2016.